Fresh air inlet valve



March 26, 1940. H. B. TRACY' FRESH AIR INLET VALVE Filed June 8, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m/ws/vro/z #42040 D. fi/ICY A T TOE/V5 Y March 26, 1940. H. B. TRACY FRESH AIR INLET VALVE 2 Shets-Sheet 2 F iled June 8. 19:59

INVE/V 7'02, M42040 5. 74CY BY- a A T TOrQ/VEY l atented Mar. 26, i946 UNITED STATES 2,194,878 FRESH AIR INLET VALVE Rial-old B. Tracy, Fort Atkinson, Wis., assignor to James Manufacturing Company, Fort Atkinson, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application June 8, 1939, Serial No. 278,029 I 5 Claims.

The present invention relates to ventilating valves which operate automatically to regulate and control the inflow of air and to prevent reverse drafts. I 1

' The principal object of the present invention is to provide a simple eificient device which will operate noiselessly and successfully for an indefinite period without attention.

An object of my invention is to provide a damper which is accurate in its operation, very sensitive to normal inflow and reverse flow of air but having means whereby abnormal conditions are adapted to bring into'play means associated with the pivot which will shift the center of gravity when the damper is moved rearwardly past a vertical center to thereby add resistance to this movement.

A novel feature of my invention is that the damper cannot contact metal in its various positions and is supported preferably on a composition rubber block, the pivotal means on the damper being provided with knife edges thus to make the damper very sensitive in its operation and prevent friction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a unitary device which may be easily set into the wall of the building and made water tight.

To these and other useful ends, my invention consists of parts, combinations of parts, or their equivalents, and mode of operation, as hereinafter setforth and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a rear View of the device having a fraction cut-away so as to disclose the device on line ll of Figure 2. i

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line. 22 of Figure 1.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are eachfractional views of the damper illustrating it inthree different positions.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 66 of Figure 4. r

Fig. '7 is an enlarged fractional end view of the damper and the supporting block similar to Figure 3.

Figures 8, 9 and 10 are fractional, end views of a modification showing. the dampers inthe position illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5 respectively.

As thus illustrated in Figures 1 to '7 the housing in its entirety is designated by reference character A having a regulating damper which in its.

served and is, at its top and ends provided with a flange IE) which is adapted to rest against the rear or inside face of the wall and a flange H which is adapted to rest against the front or outside of thewall thus to form water proof con- 5 .nections to the wall at the top, ends and bottom of the housing.

Member A is preferably provided with a curved hood l2 having a bottom plate l3 and end walls l4-l4. The rear portion of the hood terminates 10 as at l5 thus to provide an air outlet as at. Hi. The front and end members of the hood terminate on line H forming an inlet opening for the air.

being extended rearwardly and upwardly thus forming an air guideway forthe bottom of the inlet. n

I providepreferably a storm hood having end members 2| which are secured to the housing 20 as illustrated and on line 11. Hood 2!! is pro vided with a. bird screen 22'. Thus it will be seen that I have provided an inlet as at 22 which is protected because of its position against the en trance therein of water. The hood l2 provides a 25 circular pathway between inlet 22 and outlet [6 as indicated by curvilinear arrows.

It is frequently necessary to entirely close devices of the class. For this purpose I provide a damper 25, the free end of which is bent as at 25 and having a narrow flange 2i and a spring anchor 23.

Damper 25 is illustrated in its closed position and ishingedly connected to housing members M as at 29. It will be seen that when the damper is in its open position as indicated by dotted lines, the free end of the damper will act as an air guide similar to member i9. This damper may be adjusted by means of a chain 3! having a spring 3!, the chain being extended through a key-way opening (not shown) whereby the damper may be held in any desired position or closed tightly and locked in its closed positio because of spring 3|. 1

My improved damper and pivotal support for the damper is designed as follows: The damperplate is designated by numeral 32, the free end being folded as at 33 to thereby stiffen the edge. The other side of the damper is preferably e'I'nbraced by means of a strip 34 which is folded.

so as to inclose the edge of the damper as clearly 1 illustrated in the various figures and having a reverse fold as at 35'. v I The upper end of member 34 is bent at an I angle of about 45 as at'36 and then being bent Member I3 is bent as at [8, the free end l9 16.

' at right angle as at 31. By scrutinizing Figure 6 it will be seen that a portion of member 34 is cut-away thus forming an angle extension 39 which is adapted to act as hinge supports for the damper in the following manner:

Preferably a composition rubber block 40 is secured to the end plates Ml of the housing as clearly illustrated in Figures l and 6. This composition block is provided with an opening 4!, the bottom edge being formed into a reverse V-shaped projection 42. Member 39 extends into openings M as illustrated in the various figures the bottom edge 43 resting in the V-shaped opening at the front of memb r when the damper is in the position illustrated in Figures 3 and '7. Thus point 43 provides knife edge support for the damper when it is closed illustrated fractionally in Figure 2 by dotted lines and in Figures 3 and i at which time !..-shaped member 39 rests against the front and top edges 01 opening Q! as at M and is thus providing an effective stop for the damper when in its closed position or the position caused by a reverse draft as will hereinafter appear.

The normal position at which damper E32 rests by gravity is designated by dotted lines as at D in Figure 2. Thus it will be seen that the damper, when in this position, will be supported on knife edges 43 and therefore it will require very little action of the air to move it in either direction. For example, if damper, 25 is open,

a very slight reverse will move the damper to a closed position as at C and a slight in movement of air as illustrated by curvilinear arrows will cause the damper to move to the position illustrated in Figures 1 and i which I term a wide open position.

It will be noted that when the damper is in this wide open position, member 38 on its under side will rest on projection for the width of the projection wherein the dam is resisted from further opening by a shift of the weight to knife edge l5. Thus it will req e a considerable increase in air pressure against the damper to further move the damper rearwardly and if this increase of air movement is great enough, the damper will be caused to move to the limit position shown in Figure thus leaving but a small opening for the passage of air as at (see Figure 2).

Clearly an excess movement oi air into the building will be prevented. For example, in the case of a storm blowing directly against the inlet, the damper will be forced to its rear position and only a normal volume of air permitted to enter the building.

Clearly the damper will control. or meter the inflow of air under all conditions. When the abnormal conditions which cause the damper to moveto the position shown in Figure 5 are removed, the damper will immediately return to some intermediate position.

It will be noted that because of the'shape of the storm hood 28, guard IS, the curved hood l2 and valve the air will have an easy curved path through the housing and that regardless of the position of the damper, its pivots will at all times be in contact with some part of opening Ill. Thus the movement of the damper will always be noiseless and practically frictionless.

In Figures 8, 9 and I illustrate a modification wherein positions of the damper are shown which correspond to that shownin Figures 3, 4 and 5 respectively. In this design, I provide brackets fill which are shaped as illustrated and forming a curved inner surface 5|, the brackets being secured to end members I4 by means of pads 52-52. The projecting members 53 which act as pivots for the damper are shaped as illustrated in these figures whereby when the damper is in the position illustrated in Figure 9, a further movement rearward will be resisted some what by friction between members 5| and 53 or by the shift of the center of gravity as shown in Figures 4 and 5. It will be noted however, that when the damper is in any forward position, it will be supported on knife edge pivots as in the other design.

It will be seen that when the damper is in its central position, additional pressure would be required to move it rearwardly exactly as in the other design and the return movement will be under practically the same influence as in the other design.

The modification differs only in that metal to metal contacts are made between the pivotal members and their supports. However, the pivotal supports do not act as stops for the damper. The depending portions of the bracket act for this purpose as. illustrated in Figures 8 and 10.

Clearly many minor detail changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as recited in the appended claims.

Having thus shown and described my invention, I claim:

1. A ventilator of the class described, comprising a housing having air inlet and outlet openings on opposite sides and at the bottom thereof, a damper pivotally mounted at its ends near its bottom to the side walls of said housing and near the transverse center thereof, said damper being of a width whereby when in a medial position the free side is a considerable distance from the housing to thereby provide an air passageway therearound, the free end of said damper adapted to close said inlet when in its forward position and to partially close the outlet when in its extreme rearward position, said damper pivot having transversely spaced knife edge pivots and means whereby the damper will rest on the forward knife edges by gravity in a mid-forward position and whereby when said damper is moved rearward past a vertical position, it will rest on the rear knife edges to thereby additionally resist by gravity the further rearward movement of the damper.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 including; said inlet having a storm hood which extends downwardly and forwardly over the inlet to thereby prevent ingress of water.

3. A ventilator of the class described, comprising a housing having therein a self regulating damper, said damper being pivoted at its ends to the end members of the housing, said pivots comprising slightly resilient blocks secured to the end members of the housing having openings into which the other membersof the pivots extend, said other. members having two spaced knife edges one adapted to cause the damper to rest in the forward side ofsaid opening by gravity ata partially open position, the other pivots being'spaced rearwardlyiromthe first pivots and adapted to support the damper when in a rearward position to thereby shift the center of gravity, said pivots having means adapted to act to stop the damper when moved, to aclosed position by a backdraftand to stop the damper when moved by an abnormal inrush of air at a slightly open position rearwardly, said housing being shaped to thereby provide maximum air passage over the damper when the damper is in a medial position.

4. A natural inlet draft ventilator-of the class described, comprising a housing having an inlet and outlet opening on opposite sides and near the bottom thereof, a damper pivotally mounted on the end members of said housing and adapted to provide a full air draft open space when in a vertical or medial position and to close the inlet when in a forward position and having a stop whereby an abnormal inflow of air will cause the damper to rest in a nearly closed position rearwardly, said pivots comprising transversely spaced knife edges the forward edges adapted to hold the valve by gravity in a medial forward position, the rearward knife edges adapted to support said damper when the damper is in a vertical or rearward position to thereby shift the center of gravity and act on the damper to resist its further movement past the center, means on said pivot members adapted to contact said block when the damper is closed in its forward position and stop the damper when in its extreme rearward position.

5. A ventilator of the class described, comprising a housing having air inlet and outlet openings on opposite sides thereof having a selfacting damper pivotally mounted therebetween, said pivotal mounting comprising brackets each having an opening therein for the reception, of

the damper pivots, said damper pivots each comprising two transversely spaced knife edges the forward edges acting as supports for the damper and positioned to thereby hold the damper by the center of gravity and add resistance to the rearward passage of the damper, said housing having a shape thereby to provide a maximum air passageway when the damper is in its central position, a manually operated damper positioned in said outlet.

HAROLD B. TRACY. 

